Yahoo! Games

Aaron Bruski

The Daily Dose

Being Gregg Popovich

I said it to lead off yesterday’s Dose, and I’ll say it again here, today. Things are about to get crazy. Players are tired, breaking down, and the shortened season has condensed all of the ebb and flow of a normal year into a shook up bottle of champagne. The owner that gets to spray that bottle all over the place is going to be the one that isn’t afraid to make bold moves that go against the grain. Start your studs? That worn out piece of fantasy analysis doesn’t apply to serious players, who recognize that there is a correct answer for every situation, and that it’s their job to figure out what that answer is – even if it means benching their first-round draft pick in a five-game week. Make no mistake, it’s about to get hairy and guys like Gerald Green, Kawhi Leonard, and Iman Shumpert might make or break your year.

Amare Stoudemire (back) is undergoing a “non-surgical” treatment, which includes an epidural injection that he’ll likely receive immediately because it takes a little while for the cortisone to kick in. His timetable is 2-4 weeks, but my guess is that the Knicks are going to look toward the end of that timetable with an eye on the playoffs. For fantasy purposes, I’m not even sure stashing him would produce results before the final 1-2 games of the season.

As for last night’s collision of trade deadline drama queens, the Magic left their dignity at Scores last night and got destroyed by the Knicks. Jeremy Lin (knee) was held out but Carmelo Anthony played through his groin injury, using a stationary bike throughout the night and wincing throughout the game. We can’t say for sure that Melo is going to gut this out – but he sure is setup to take the team by the reins and make a playoff run. As Anthony’s owners proceed with caution the early returns were nice last night, as he put up 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting with a full stat line. Ride him until the wheels fall off.

I’ve talked a lot about which Knicks wing would step up with Stoudemire out, and the leader in the clubhouse is Iman Shumpert, who posted 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and four triples. He should be owners’ first priority and I consider him a must-own player in 12-team formats. From there, the upside guy is J.R. Smith, who put up 12 points, three boards, three assists, two steals, and a three in 30 minutes. By now you know the story, but he thrives playing off of Melo’s isolation game as he can create shots when the play breaks down and the ball swings off double-teams, rather than the pick-and-roll game that Lin orchestrates. Landry Fields (six points, not much else) is a guy owners will want to watch, but until he does something he’s hands off. Lastly, Steve Novak (16 points, four treys) is your guy if you need 3-pointers. All of them have a chance to put up numbers with Amare out, and if Melo goes out then all of them might have a home on rosters.

Baron Davis will be a guy owners will want to look at as a short-term add when one or more key backcourt guys are out, but beyond that it’s hard to get behind a guy with his history that’s limping around the court. He had 11 points, seven boards, and six assists last night.

Jameer Nelson (illness) played and scored 17 points with four assists, and J.J. Redick had 15 points and three treys off the bench. Virtually everybody else in a Magic uniform struggled, and per usual, we take the nights when the Magic mail it in and throw them out for evaluation purposes.

BULLS ON PARADE

I said yesterday that Richard Hamilton (shoulder) had made about as much progress as I had on my P90x regimen, but I failed to mention I setup the garage, bought all the materials, and laid out my meal plan. Hamilton took contact during shootaround and beat writer K.C. Johnson opined that he would play on Friday, but owners should not be running to the wire to grab him. Aside from injury-risk, he’ll be eased in and hasn’t proven anything this year. Derrick Rose (groin) did not play last night and until we hear that he’s moving and cutting in practice, owners should expect more of the C.J. Watson and John Lucas show. Watson is the likely starter going forward, but struggled last night with five points and four assists on 1-of-7 shooting, while Lucas scored 10 points with five assists, two threes, and a block. Lucas will flirt with some big numbers, but Watson is still the play here until further notice. Luol Deng blew up for 22 points and five treys last night, but there isn’t a guy in the league that deserves a rest more than him. Taj Gibson made some noise with 19 points, six boards, one steal, and one block. He’s still just a deep-league special.

The Bulls walked all over a Hawks team that may still be struggling after their 4OT thriller against the Jazz, as Joe Johnson (12 points, 28 minutes), and Kirk Hinrich (three points) were noticeably sluggish and from there the Hawks didn’t have enough firepower. Jeff Teague (13 points, eight assists) played well, Josh Smith struggled from the field with 19 points on 8-of-21 shooting, while Zaza Pachulia (seven points, 10 boards, one steal, one block) and Marvin Williams (10 points, five rebounds) continued to eke out low-end production.

I LOVE YOU, MAN

Kevin Love had yet another masterful night, scoring 40 points with 19 rebounds, four assists, and four treys against a Bobcats team that might have trouble in the Final Four. I’m not going to sit here and wax poetic about how studly his numbers are, but I do recommend that you take in a game on the DVR and just watch him off the ball. He has made a science out of gaining position, and he punishes defenders that take chances off the ball like it’s nobody’s business. Against heady Nick Collison the other day, there were about 3-4 occasions late in which Collison took a half-step to disrupt a passing lane not involving Love – and Love, sensing that, immediately dove without the ball to gain both post- and rebounding-position. He’s basketball judo, using your movements against you to effortlessly glide to where he needs to be. Luke Ridnour added 15 points, five boards, two steals, a block, and a season-high 14 assists, and I think it’s pretty clear now that his career averages have nothing to do with his numbers under Rick Adelman. I’ll be watching to see if J.J. Barea’s return causes Adelman to give Ridnour a break, as he has been pretty banged up.

DINOSAUR EGGS

If your name wasn’t Ty Lawson (26 points, nine assists, two steals, two threes), you struggled if you wore a Nuggets uniform against the Raptors last night. They’ve had a decent amount of upheaval lately, so I’m not reading into the lukewarm performances up and down the roster.

James Johnson (illness) was a late scratch last night after looking like death on Monday, and I’d caution owners not to let their frustration impact their evaluation of him. It happens. DeMar DeRozan (ankle) returned to action and couldn’t hit the barn, going 6-of-20 from the field en route to 17 points, five boards, and five assists. The good news is that he’s going to get plenty of minutes and touches as long as he’s healthy, which appears to be the case. Gary Forbes kept his foot on the gas with 11 points, 10 assist, and three treys, and while owners may want to see how the story ends it’s unlikely to be a happy ending unless something happens to Jose Calderon. Forbes did his damage in 19 minutes and that’s not a recipe for value. Linas Kleiza started for Johnson and wasn’t too impressive, scoring 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, one block, and three treys, and when he gets on a roll he's an interesting risk/reward guy. I’d only downgrade him a little bit when Johnson returns, as Kleiza’s value has never really been hitched to Johnson’s and Jerryd Bayless’ absence has cleared out some minutes. Andrea Bargnani finally got his act together with 26 points on 7-of-14 shooting, two threes, and a normal stat line. It’s been a long, hard road, but hopefully this is him turning the corner.

LOTTERY TICKET

Gordon Hayward is proving those that doubted his lottery status wrong (I’ll admit I was skeptical). He put up 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting (including a three) with seven rebounds, five assists, and two highlight quality blocks. He was a bit tired earlier in the week after the team’s 4OT game against the Hawks, but I don’t see how the Jazz can go away from him after he has proven his mettle since returning to the starting lineup. Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap are still getting theirs more or less, and Hayward’s playmaking ability just complements that. C.J. Miles continued to struggle with three points on 1-of-10 shooting, and owners in 12-team formats should just keep him on the watch list for whenever he starts shooting straight, which might be never.

BEING GREGG POPOVICH

The Spurs snuck out of Sacramento with a win, and each of the Big Three put up decent lines. Tony Parker had 10 points, seven boards, 10 assists, two steals, and a three, Tim Duncan had 18 points, eight rebounds, and a few amazing plays, and Manu Ginobili’s bald spot casually scored 20 points. That’s the good news, and owners won’t feel the bad news until after next Tuesday’s game. From there, the Spurs have 16 games in 24 days and as Doc put it last night, Gregg Popovich is about get medieval on the fantasy world.

So what to do? Owners of the Big Three need contingency plans and should probably plan on 1-2 absences during the rough stretches. But the more interesting fantasy questions come in the form of Kawhi Leonard (19 points, 8-of-11 FGs, nine rebounds, two steals, 33 minutes), Stephen Jackson (eight points, three rebounds, 28 minutes), Tiago Splitter (seven points, six rebounds, two steals, zero blocks, 15 minutes, return from back injury), Boris Diaw (zero points, four rebounds, two assists), DeJuan Blair (eight points, four rebounds, four assists, 23 minutes), Gary Neal (13 points, one three, 15 minutes), and Danny Green (seven points, not much else, 15 minutes).

No matter how Pop slices it, one or more of the latter group is going to play full-time minutes when the peaks and valleys are ironed out over the next three weeks. My first pick here is Kawhi Leonard, who should get some rookie of the year votes, and has also posted early round value over the past two weeks on the strength of 12.5 points, 7.5 boards, 1.1 threes, 1.5 steals, 0.4 blocks, 54 percent FGs, and 85 percent FTs. If he’s available, I know there’s some random Pop risk here, but go run and grab him. The upside is too great to pass up.

From there, things get dicey. Jackson, who needs minutes with his new teammates, is also a conditioning and injury risk, so while I expect him to play decent minutes I don’t know if Pop will let him loose. Jackson has provided low-end value in the past two weeks with 10.0 points, 1.2 threes, and 1.2 steals while hitting half his shots in 23 minutes per game. If you miss out on Kawhi, I think there’s enough beer in the keg to fill your cup with Jackson. The dark horse in this mess is Green, who has struggled lately but provided mid-round value over the past two weeks with 11.8 points, 1.5 threes, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 28 minutes per game. Ironically, I look at Jackson as the safer play between him and Green, with Green showing us lately how he’s both Jekyll and Hyde. The good news is that Pop loves him, and like Leonard he has young legs. For my money, I’m taking the risks and ranking him ahead of Jackson.

From there I’m looking at guys through the lenses of positional needs. Blair often sees his minutes capped regardless of what is going on around him, but he could easily post enough big lines to average himself out as a low-end value, and if Splitter is truly healthy he could go on the same type of run he made during the middle of the year. If you need threes, give Gary Neal a look, and if you’re in a deeper format and in a pinch give Diaw a look. With a 4-4-5 weekly schedule there is room for error, here.

I said it to lead off yesterday’s Dose, and I’ll say it again here, today. Things are about to get crazy. Players are tired, breaking down, and the shortened season has condensed all of the ebb and flow of a normal year into a shook up bottle of champagne. The owner that gets to spray that bottle all over the place is going to be the one that isn’t afraid to make bold moves that go against the grain. Start your studs? That worn out piece of fantasy analysis doesn’t apply to serious players, who recognize that there is a correct answer for every situation, and that it’s their job to figure out what that answer is – even if it means benching their first-round draft pick in a five-game week. Make no mistake, it’s about to get hairy and guys like Gerald Green, Kawhi Leonard, and Iman Shumpert might make or break your year.

Amare Stoudemire (back) is undergoing a “non-surgical” treatment, which includes an epidural injection that he’ll likely receive immediately because it takes a little while for the cortisone to kick in. His timetable is 2-4 weeks, but my guess is that the Knicks are going to look toward the end of that timetable with an eye on the playoffs. For fantasy purposes, I’m not even sure stashing him would produce results before the final 1-2 games of the season.

As for last night’s collision of trade deadline drama queens, the Magic left their dignity at Scores last night and got destroyed by the Knicks. Jeremy Lin (knee) was held out but Carmelo Anthony played through his groin injury, using a stationary bike throughout the night and wincing throughout the game. We can’t say for sure that Melo is going to gut this out – but he sure is setup to take the team by the reins and make a playoff run. As Anthony’s owners proceed with caution the early returns were nice last night, as he put up 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting with a full stat line. Ride him until the wheels fall off.

I’ve talked a lot about which Knicks wing would step up with Stoudemire out, and the leader in the clubhouse is Iman Shumpert, who posted 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and four triples. He should be owners’ first priority and I consider him a must-own player in 12-team formats. From there, the upside guy is J.R. Smith, who put up 12 points, three boards, three assists, two steals, and a three in 30 minutes. By now you know the story, but he thrives playing off of Melo’s isolation game as he can create shots when the play breaks down and the ball swings off double-teams, rather than the pick-and-roll game that Lin orchestrates. Landry Fields (six points, not much else) is a guy owners will want to watch, but until he does something he’s hands off. Lastly, Steve Novak (16 points, four treys) is your guy if you need 3-pointers. All of them have a chance to put up numbers with Amare out, and if Melo goes out then all of them might have a home on rosters.

Baron Davis will be a guy owners will want to look at as a short-term add when one or more key backcourt guys are out, but beyond that it’s hard to get behind a guy with his history that’s limping around the court. He had 11 points, seven boards, and six assists last night.

Jameer Nelson (illness) played and scored 17 points with four assists, and J.J. Redick had 15 points and three treys off the bench. Virtually everybody else in a Magic uniform struggled, and per usual, we take the nights when the Magic mail it in and throw them out for evaluation purposes.

BULLS ON PARADE

I said yesterday that Richard Hamilton (shoulder) had made about as much progress as I had on my P90x regimen, but I failed to mention I setup the garage, bought all the materials, and laid out my meal plan. Hamilton took contact during shootaround and beat writer K.C. Johnson opined that he would play on Friday, but owners should not be running to the wire to grab him. Aside from injury-risk, he’ll be eased in and hasn’t proven anything this year. Derrick Rose (groin) did not play last night and until we hear that he’s moving and cutting in practice, owners should expect more of the C.J. Watson and John Lucas show. Watson is the likely starter going forward, but struggled last night with five points and four assists on 1-of-7 shooting, while Lucas scored 10 points with five assists, two threes, and a block. Lucas will flirt with some big numbers, but Watson is still the play here until further notice. Luol Deng blew up for 22 points and five treys last night, but there isn’t a guy in the league that deserves a rest more than him. Taj Gibson made some noise with 19 points, six boards, one steal, and one block. He’s still just a deep-league special.

The Bulls walked all over a Hawks team that may still be struggling after their 4OT thriller against the Jazz, as Joe Johnson (12 points, 28 minutes), and Kirk Hinrich (three points) were noticeably sluggish and from there the Hawks didn’t have enough firepower. Jeff Teague (13 points, eight assists) played well, Josh Smith struggled from the field with 19 points on 8-of-21 shooting, while Zaza Pachulia (seven points, 10 boards, one steal, one block) and Marvin Williams (10 points, five rebounds) continued to eke out low-end production.

I LOVE YOU, MAN

Kevin Love had yet another masterful night, scoring 40 points with 19 rebounds, four assists, and four treys against a Bobcats team that might have trouble in the Final Four. I’m not going to sit here and wax poetic about how studly his numbers are, but I do recommend that you take in a game on the DVR and just watch him off the ball. He has made a science out of gaining position, and he punishes defenders that take chances off the ball like it’s nobody’s business. Against heady Nick Collison the other day, there were about 3-4 occasions late in which Collison took a half-step to disrupt a passing lane not involving Love – and Love, sensing that, immediately dove without the ball to gain both post- and rebounding-position. He’s basketball judo, using your movements against you to effortlessly glide to where he needs to be. Luke Ridnour added 15 points, five boards, two steals, a block, and a season-high 14 assists, and I think it’s pretty clear now that his career averages have nothing to do with his numbers under Rick Adelman. I’ll be watching to see if J.J. Barea’s return causes Adelman to give Ridnour a break, as he has been pretty banged up.

DINOSAUR EGGS

If your name wasn’t Ty Lawson (26 points, nine assists, two steals, two threes), you struggled if you wore a Nuggets uniform against the Raptors last night. They’ve had a decent amount of upheaval lately, so I’m not reading into the lukewarm performances up and down the roster.

James Johnson (illness) was a late scratch last night after looking like death on Monday, and I’d caution owners not to let their frustration impact their evaluation of him. It happens. DeMar DeRozan (ankle) returned to action and couldn’t hit the barn, going 6-of-20 from the field en route to 17 points, five boards, and five assists. The good news is that he’s going to get plenty of minutes and touches as long as he’s healthy, which appears to be the case. Gary Forbes kept his foot on the gas with 11 points, 10 assist, and three treys, and while owners may want to see how the story ends it’s unlikely to be a happy ending unless something happens to Jose Calderon. Forbes did his damage in 19 minutes and that’s not a recipe for value. Linas Kleiza started for Johnson and wasn’t too impressive, scoring 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, one block, and three treys, and when he gets on a roll he's an interesting risk/reward guy. I’d only downgrade him a little bit when Johnson returns, as Kleiza’s value has never really been hitched to Johnson’s and Jerryd Bayless’ absence has cleared out some minutes. Andrea Bargnani finally got his act together with 26 points on 7-of-14 shooting, two threes, and a normal stat line. It’s been a long, hard road, but hopefully this is him turning the corner.

LOTTERY TICKET

Gordon Hayward is proving those that doubted his lottery status wrong (I’ll admit I was skeptical). He put up 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting (including a three) with seven rebounds, five assists, and two highlight quality blocks. He was a bit tired earlier in the week after the team’s 4OT game against the Hawks, but I don’t see how the Jazz can go away from him after he has proven his mettle since returning to the starting lineup. Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap are still getting theirs more or less, and Hayward’s playmaking ability just complements that. C.J. Miles continued to struggle with three points on 1-of-10 shooting, and owners in 12-team formats should just keep him on the watch list for whenever he starts shooting straight, which might be never.

BEING GREGG POPOVICH

The Spurs snuck out of Sacramento with a win, and each of the Big Three put up decent lines. Tony Parker had 10 points, seven boards, 10 assists, two steals, and a three, Tim Duncan had 18 points, eight rebounds, and a few amazing plays, and Manu Ginobili’s bald spot casually scored 20 points. That’s the good news, and owners won’t feel the bad news until after next Tuesday’s game. From there, the Spurs have 16 games in 24 days and as Doc put it last night, Gregg Popovich is about get medieval on the fantasy world.

So what to do? Owners of the Big Three need contingency plans and should probably plan on 1-2 absences during the rough stretches. But the more interesting fantasy questions come in the form of Kawhi Leonard (19 points, 8-of-11 FGs, nine rebounds, two steals, 33 minutes), Stephen Jackson (eight points, three rebounds, 28 minutes), Tiago Splitter (seven points, six rebounds, two steals, zero blocks, 15 minutes, return from back injury), Boris Diaw (zero points, four rebounds, two assists), DeJuan Blair (eight points, four rebounds, four assists, 23 minutes), Gary Neal (13 points, one three, 15 minutes), and Danny Green (seven points, not much else, 15 minutes).

No matter how Pop slices it, one or more of the latter group is going to play full-time minutes when the peaks and valleys are ironed out over the next three weeks. My first pick here is Kawhi Leonard, who should get some rookie of the year votes, and has also posted early round value over the past two weeks on the strength of 12.5 points, 7.5 boards, 1.1 threes, 1.5 steals, 0.4 blocks, 54 percent FGs, and 85 percent FTs. If he’s available, I know there’s some random Pop risk here, but go run and grab him. The upside is too great to pass up.

From there, things get dicey. Jackson, who needs minutes with his new teammates, is also a conditioning and injury risk, so while I expect him to play decent minutes I don’t know if Pop will let him loose. Jackson has provided low-end value in the past two weeks with 10.0 points, 1.2 threes, and 1.2 steals while hitting half his shots in 23 minutes per game. If you miss out on Kawhi, I think there’s enough beer in the keg to fill your cup with Jackson. The dark horse in this mess is Green, who has struggled lately but provided mid-round value over the past two weeks with 11.8 points, 1.5 threes, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 28 minutes per game. Ironically, I look at Jackson as the safer play between him and Green, with Green showing us lately how he’s both Jekyll and Hyde. The good news is that Pop loves him, and like Leonard he has young legs. For my money, I’m taking the risks and ranking him ahead of Jackson.

From there I’m looking at guys through the lenses of positional needs. Blair often sees his minutes capped regardless of what is going on around him, but he could easily post enough big lines to average himself out as a low-end value, and if Splitter is truly healthy he could go on the same type of run he made during the middle of the year. If you need threes, give Gary Neal a look, and if you’re in a deeper format and in a pinch give Diaw a look. With a 4-4-5 weekly schedule there is room for error, here.

EARTH TO MATILDA

D.J. Augustin clearly isn’t himself right now, and whether it’s the knee tendinitis or symptoms of playing in an awful situation – I can’t see how he holds his starting job after last night. He went 0-for-4 from the field and didn’t score, and while he handed out eight assists, his counterpart Kemba Walker went off for 20 points, three boards, four assists, a steal, and two threes on 6-of-13 shooting overall. I’m calling Walker a must-own player, so run and grab him if he’s still available.

I wish the rest of the Bobcats could have such (relative) clarity, as Paul Silas just isn’t ready to play the young guys. Just hours after extolling the benefits of playing Byron Mullens at power forward (something I’ve been chirping about for weeks) – Silas decided to play him just 12 minutes last night. When Mullens did get in the game, he played tentatively and got mixed up on a few defensive assignments, and the Wolves’ small lineup posed a few problems. Still, asking Mullens to defend Anthony Tolliver isn’t a game-changing move, and Silas needs to see if his big man combo can work unless he’s planning on tanking next year, too. Of course, the other half of the combo, Bismack Biyombo, was inexplicably played just 21 minutes, and if I’m a season-ticket holder I’m screaming bloody murder when Corey Maggette (22 points, full line) and Augustin (24 minutes) are getting ‘developed’ at the expense of the young talent. Stay patient with Biyombo, and feel free to drop Mullens if you added him – but be watchful for whenever Silas decides he’s out of the playoff hunt. It doesn’t hurt that the Cats have a 4-5-4 weekly schedule coming up. Tyrus Thomas couldn’t straighten his elbow, so needless to say he couldn’t play last night. D.J. White (14 points, five rebounds, one block) started in his place and played 32 minutes, but owners need to see it again before giving him a look.

KNIGHT AND DAYE

Ben Gordon (groin) did not play and Rodney Stuckey left last night’s game with a left hamstring injury early and did not return. All of a sudden inconsistent Brandon Knight (16 points, four rebounds, five assists, two treys, 38 minutes) looks like an indispensable fantasy play. Tayshaun Prince tied a season-high with 29 points and added eight rebounds, three assists, and four treys, and there is a chance he atones for an awful season with some low-end value if guys stay injured. Austin Daye started the second half in place of Stuckey and finished with eight points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a three in 29 minutes, and barring matchup considerations he looks like the probable starter at two-guard if Gordon and Stuckey remain out. Will Bynum then becomes the swing guard, and in standard formats we’ll need to see more before making an add following his eight-point, three-rebound night.

TRUST YOUR EYES

For the last two weeks I’ve seen Isaiah Thomas dropped as his minutes have been shaky under Keith Smart, and I’d be lying if I didn’t at least consider it in 12-team formats. I didn’t do it, though, as this has been a classic case of trusting one’s eyes when making the final call. Of course, we can’t predict when a coach is going to go all Scott Brooks, and Smart has actually veered dangerously close to that district with his handling of Thomas. Even after Thomas outplayed Tony Parker and posted a career-high 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting with four rebounds, 10 assists, a steal, and just three turnovers – Smart still brought up Jimmer Fredette’s name when discussing the PG position in Sacto. Smart recently told Sam Amick of SI.com that Jimmer was the Kings’ PG of the future, which is laughably ridiculous. I don’t even think Jimmer sees himself as the Kings’ PG of the future, but the key here and the key going forward as we play this great game is to trust your eyes. The Kings look like a completely different team with Thomas on the court, and he literally only makes enough mistakes to count on one hand per game. Defensively he’s a stud, and I said it on Twitter but Thomas is already a top-15 PG in the association. Smart may have pressure from above to keep Jimmer in the PG discussion, or maybe he’s pulling the same stuff he pulled on Stephen Curry. I don’t know. But when you see a player that is a game-changer, a la Serge Ibaka, a la Kevin Love under Kurt Rambis – you trust your eyes and hang tight.

Jason Thompson (ankle) played and finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and three blocks, and like with Thomas – owners need to trust their eyes and realize he has taken a step forward this year. This is not a fluke. The only thing that is a concern is that he was limping again last night, so he’s not in the clear just yet. Marcus Thornton was tested for a concussion after taking a shot to the head to end the third quarter, and didn’t do much after returning. He finished with 18 points, two threes, a steal, and a block, and owners will just want to cross their fingers and hope he doesn’t develop symptoms overnight. If I’m betting I don’t think he will.

Perhaps the most interesting development out of Sacto was the curious case of Tyreke Evans (six points, three rebounds, five assists, 30 minutes), who saw his minutes clipped at the expense of Terrence Williams (seven points, two rebounds, three assists, one steal, 17 minutes). In a mixture of speculation and having my ear to the ground over there, it seems the issue of Evans’ minutes is a bit of a touchy situation, and it’s possible the team could be auditioning Williams as a byproduct of Evans’ cloudy future in Sacto. Owners shouldn’t panic or move the needle yet, but it’s certainly a thread to watch and might explain some of Reke’s detached behavior.

CUPCAKES NO MORE

The Pacers got throttled by the Nets of all teams, with Paul George being the lone bright spot in a 22-point, four-rebound, and four-assist effort that included a steal and two blocks. George is a guy I’ve lived and died with all year and I don’t see that changing. I have been pretty low on George Hill all year, mostly because anytime he has produced he has followed it up with a handful of junk, which isn’t a reference to the pictures he floated on the Internet a few years back. Well, I guess it is now. He is no more or less talented than Darren Collison (nine points, seven assists), but Collison has actually produced a bit this season and holds the starting job. I just don’t get the appeal for Hill, even in a five-game week. Danny Granger (five points) and Roy Hibbert (five points, seven boards) also struggled.

Shelden Williams suffered a scary eye injury and was hospitalized overnight, and his status has not been updated. Another Williams hit the injury report, too, when rookie Jordan Williams left the game with concussion-like symptoms. MarShon Brooks finally made some noise, scoring 17 points with four rebounds and three assists in just over 30 minutes. While the injuries to the Nets bigs aren’t related directly to his position, it’s possible the games become more free-wheeling with a smaller lineup and that might be the key to jump-starting Brooks. Anthony Morrow (shoulder) would normally be in a good spot to make some hay before the end of the year, but he can’t get on the court and missed last night’s game. I think I came around on Gerald Green when Jordan Farmar exited stage right, and he affirmed my beliefs last night with another strong showing of 14 points, two threes, three steals, and one block. I think he should be owned in all 12-team formats for his expected production that includes a hint of upside, too. I’m not using Morrow’s status as a gauge for his value, either.

ELEVATE TO EMASCULATE: THE HOW-TO-GUIDE FOR DUNKING

Steve Nash (back) played last night and threatened the record for most assists without scoring a point until he hit a technical foul shot. He finished with the one point and 15 assists, and while we took him off the injury report owners will want to keep an eye on him. Grant Hill (knee) was listed as probable and then was a last-second scratch against the Clippers, giving Shannon Brown another start coming off a 32-point night. As I said in the ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ column yesterday, Brown predictably fell off to a more normal 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists. There’s no real value there. Markieff Morris (illness) rounded out the absentee list, and Channing Frye struggled to hit 6-of-15 shots (2-of-11 from deep) for 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a block.

Marcin Gortat scored 23 points with seven rebounds and two blocks, and followed up yesterday’s 3-of-3 mark from the line with a 5-of-5 mark. That is until I turned the game on and he promptly missed his next two throws. As an across the board owner of Gortat, I’ll do my best not to watch the games going forward.

As mentioned, Blake Griffin was a dunking machine last night, and scored 27 points with 14 boards, five assists, a steal, and a block. The Clippers have four games per week the rest of the way, putting fringe guys like DeAndre Jordan (13 points, six boards, one steal, one block), Nick Young (nine points), and Caron Butler (14 points, two threes) a half-step ahead in the start/sit spotlight.

PANZER ATTACK

Trevor Ariza (ankle) and Chris Kaman (illness) did not play last night, and Gustavo Ayon threw a monkey wrench into his five-game week by being with his wife for the birth of his child. The gall.

Eric Gordon (knee) was chronicled in yesterday’s Dose, and by now he has been scooped up in most leagues that I’ve seen. That doesn’t mean that anything good is going to happen, and you can bang yesterday’s Dose for my in-depth take. Gordon will be a bit of a mystery until further reports come down the chute, but he didn’t make it into last night’s game against the Warriors.

That game, of course, was an exhibition in tanking by the dubs, who lost at home to one of the league’s worst teams that was missing half its starting lineup. Jarrett Jack (20 points, nine assists), Marco Belinelli (22 points, six assists, three steals, four treys), Carl Landry (20 points, eight boards, one block), Greivis Vasquez (six points, four boards, six assists), and Jason Smith (12 points, six boards, one block) were all gifted the chance to play against the league’s worst defense. Stepping from that distorted reality, the only real value changes are Landry’s emergence, Smith’s return, Ayon’s eventual return, and everybody else remains where they stood before last night. The Hornets’ party ends next week when they have three games, before finishing out with two four-game slates.

The Warriors, whose team of the future is only missing Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut, are an embarrassing mess. The good news is that embarrassing in reality can often lead to greatness in fantasy, and the team will close out on a 4-4-5 weekly schedule. Nate Robinson (hamstring) returned to action and went scoreless with six assists, but he’ll be better on most nights and Charles Jenkins left with an ankle injury. Hang onto Nate. Brandon Rush (12 points, two threes, one steal, one block) is probably a better bet than Dorell Wright (12 points, four threes) because of his relative consistency, and Richard Jefferson (eight points, two threes) is still on the outside looking in. Klay Thompson and David Lee are going to be locked into big minutes and big numbers the rest of the way, and their bad defense will help encourage lots of garbage-time free-for-alls. It’s fantasy gold, Jerry!

As for Curry (ankle), he will miss at least two weeks according to Adrian Wojnarowski, and my read is that collectively everybody is going to wait-and-see if he can get on the court for the final 7-10 days of the year. Respected beat writer Tim Kawakami believes he’s looking at the team’s final two games if he does play, and before that the Warriors have a triple-set of games that would not be conducive to a player playing it safe on a bum ankle. Maybe Curry surprises and returns sooner, but he’d have to return within three weeks to have an honest shot at the final week of the fantasy season. That’s a lot of ‘ifs’ and unless you’re rolling around in roster space it’s time to move on.

FOUR QUARTERS OF FURY

1ST QUARTER: Tristan Thompson atoned for Tuesday’s stinker with nine points, 11 rebounds, a steal, and three blocks in 30 minutes, giving owners a glimpse of the upside they’ve been stashing him for. Don’t expect consistency, but at least the arrow got pointed in the right direction. Anderson Varejao (wrist) has been pretty vocal about returning for a few weeks this season, and he’s a guy that owners will want to make sure isn’t floating around the waiver wire if you can afford the stash. The Andrew Bynum story came and went yesterday with no big news, as expected.

2ND QUARTER: Ray Allen (ankle) did not play and like his teammates, will be subject to DNP stress from here on out. If you see him on your league’s wire, though, I’d consider a pickup because I don’t get the sense the injury is overly serious. Raymond Felton was not at practice on Wednesday and it sounds like a confirmation on his status for Thursday’s game will be announced early this morning. Nolan Smith was awful on Tuesday, and while Jonny Flynn posted decent numbers off the bench he was also a mess. For as much as all of Portland would like to water board Felton with nacho cheese, I don’t see either point guard stealing his job without some injury help.

3RD QUARTER: Nene (back spasms) did not practice on Wednesday, and one has to wonder how life is going from playoff contender to nightly surrender. Kevin Seraphin is the guy to watch here, as Trevor Booker didn’t practice Wednesday and is questionable for Thursday’s game. Disappointing Jan Vesely will likely start if Booker cannot go, but Seraphin is the guy with the value. LeBron James’ finger injury is really a non-story, and he’s fully expected to play on Thursday against the Mavs. As usual, the reporting was light about Carlos Delfino (groin) and Ersan Ilyasova (back), as Scott Skiles told the MJS newspaper that he didn’t know how long either guy would be out. Advantage – Mike Dunleavy, Ekpe Udoh, and in deeper leagues or for those seeking specialists – Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

4TH QUARTER: Andre Iguodala’s left knee started bothering him two weeks ago, according to reports, and luckily it’s not the right knee/Achilles combo that sapped his explosiveness and caused him to lose about a fifth of last season. The Sixers still have a motive to get him back onto the court as their playoff push isn’t quite done, and at the same time they need him healthy to try to get out of the first round of the playoffs. It’s a tricky situation, but as I outlined yesterday I’m holding onto Evan Turner and adding Jodie Meeks if I need 3-point shooting, though I’m not expecting the latter to be overly effective.

Aaron Bruski has covered hoops for Rotoworld since 2008 and has competed in national fantasy sports competitions for nearly two decades. In 2015 he was named FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year. You can also find his work over at ProBasketballTalk, where he received critical acclaim for his in-depth reporting of the Kings' relocation saga. Hit him on Twitter at Aaronbruski.Email :Aaron Bruski